Star rating : 4.5/5

I absolutely adored Island Affair. The minute Oliveras began describing the Key West setting, I could feel myself being transported there. At times, it felt like the sights and sounds of Key West were a character in and of themselves, and I mean that in the very best way possible.

I was really impressed with the pacing of the story. The entire book takes place over a one week period, but it doesn’t feel rushed or unbelievable. Luis and Sara’s relationship felt authentic, moving quickly from just met, to lust and more. Their chemistry is electric, their banter sexy but not over-the-top and there was just enough steam.

Family is at the heart of this story, for both characters. Sara is vacationing in Key West with her family, celebrating her mother’s remission after a battle with breast cancer. Sara has always felt as out-of-place in her family and her relationship with them is strained because of it. Scenes with Sara’s family are uncomfortable at times, but the growth from all characters in that unit is so rewarding.

Luis, a local firefighter, had recently been given a one week leave from his Captain and is encouraged by his older brother to live a little, which has him agreeing to Sara’s plan. His family is loud, large and act as the perfect balance to Sara’s.

If you’re looking for an escape, this book is a must-read. Immerse yourself in the vibrant Key West setting and enjoy!

(Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the e-ARC.)

3.5 Stars.

Lovely, fun and enjoyable read, but altogether too short. My biggest qualms are that she got in a strangers car at the airport? And then the ending was so rushed.

HOWEVER, the rest of it was sweet and a great fun romance read. I loved the characters and their family dynamics.

Fake dating a common romance trope because it is so good! Sara is the black sheep of her family but joins them for a week in Key West to celebrate her mom's remission. The whole goal of the week is not to stress out her mom or rock the boat, so when Sara's boyfriend stands her up she is desperate. She meets Luis Navarro, handsome Key West firefighter, in the airport parking lot where he is stewing over being forced to take some time off from his job for R&R (exactly the same amount of time that Sara is in town, imagine that!) Luis agrees to be Sara's stand-in boyfriend for the week to keep his mind off work and of course, things escalate as they both push each other to mend broken family relationships.

Sara and Luis have great chemistry in this book so I was really rooting for them. They both have large and complicated family dynamics which brought a lot of depth that romance novels can sometimes lack. Oliveras does a beautiful job bringing in the life and culture of Key West in her descriptions - you can almost feel the island breeze as you read! Snuggle up with a fruity cocktail and enjoy this quick and heartwarming read.

Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a review.

Island Affair // by Priscilla Oliveras

From the #netgalley description: "...family dinners, bike tours, private snorkeling trips . . . sharing secrets, and slow, melting kisses."

Island Affair by Priscilla Oliveras is a fun beach romance novel with a Latin twist. Social Media Influencer Sara Vance is stood up last minute at the Key West airport by the boyfriend she is supposed to bring to her family vacation - a vacation that is supposed to be stress-free and relaxing for her mother who is recovering from a serious illness. Desperate to not disappoint the family she has been wanting to impress for so long, she propositions the hot firefighter she meets outside the airport. Luis Navarro, who was just put on a mandatory break by his boss and who usually never does anything like this, surprises both Sara and himself when he agrees to be her pretend boyfriend. Last-minute studying and a lot improvising in front of her and his family has them stumbling through the week and over some not-so-pretend feelings. Will one week be enough to work through their past issues and mistakes or is this just a flash-and-burn beach romance after all?

The premise sounded very unbelievable to me (obviously I don't read many romances) but after I read the #firstlook on @BookishFirst, I knew I wanted to read this one anyway because I just cannot say no to a smoking hot Latino firefighter. Unbelievable or not, I enjoyed this novel a lot! The tensions between Sara and Luis, both sexual and related to their past troubles, keep you on your toes and the two completely different family dynamics are both so easy to relate to. I really like how Oliveras regularly used Spanish phrases throughout the book but kept the story flowing well with the translations. Was it a little predictable? Definitely. Did I care? Not at all. I thoroughly enjoyed this beach read and am excited for the next one!

Thank you to the author, @kensingtonbooks and @netgalley for this fun read in exchange for an honest review.

Wow!! Island affair shocked me👀 I absolutely LOVED it! I am a sucker for a firefighter or any man in uniform actually🤷‍♀️ This book by Priscilla Oliveras was honestly just what I needed before working a 12 hour day tomorrow during a pandemic at the hospital! Light and easy to read. I smiled so many times and cried twice towards the end. Way too emotionally invested in Sara and Luis! A 5 star book without a doubt. I will need to own this and will be following the Author through her new series!
Thanks NetGalley and Kensington Books for my ARC!

I fell for the gorgeous cover and stayed for the romance. This romance was super sweet and definitely steamy. It does require more suspension of disbelief than the typical romance, in my opinion, but it was an enjoyable read. This gave me a break from day-to-day stress and I loved the Key West setting. The characters felt real and well-rounded, and I liked how part of their relationship involved a desire to better each other/improve their own personal lives. If you're looking for a light beach read with some chemistry, this is perfect.

I was lucky enough to win an early look at ISLAND AFFAIR through a Shelf Awareness giveaway. Thank you for the distraction, and please stay safe!

Absolutely loved this book! The perfect amount of steam, family drama, life lessons, and humor. These are the characters you root for from the beginning. Highly recommend!

This was a really sweet, easy read. I’m not normally into insta-love so I was a bit skeptical going in (the story takes place over a week) but the development of Luis and Sara’s relationship was done so well! They had many real conversations early on, so their connection felt deep and believable. This story also had a great depiction of complex family dynamics in both leads’ families. I grew especially attached to Luis’s family which is great, since it seems like they’ll be showing up more in later books. Looking forward to whatever’s next from Oliveras!

I've been looking forward to this book. I needed a fake tropical escape from quarantine. Imagine a week in Key West or even just an opportunity to meet a random, hot stranger outside an airport-- inconceivable! Plus, this book has a Cuban fireman, Spanish, and there's a pretend boyfriend plot... What's not to love?

In all seriousness, though, I have never read a romance novel that was so mental health positive or that shined a light on a serious mental health issue while keeping things fun and light. Sara suffers from an eating disorder, and her therapist is mentioned casually early on, normalizing something that is still often stigmatized in this day and age.

This book has it all: a slow burn, delightfully awful romcom mishaps, and a story that encompasses both romantic and family love. In short, this was a romance both sweet and hot, the kind of juxtaposition I've only encountered in Mexican candies. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

This is definitely for people who like Jasmine Guillory or Christina Lauren. It is a fun, light read and meant to entertain. It was such an old concept but with a different twist. It was definitely good and could see this doing really well.

I ate this one up. It has it all with the Key West setting , a great meet cute and a sizzling and touching romance. Plus, I dare anyone not to fall in love with Luis and his crazy, loving Cuban family.

Key West was the perfect escape in my quarantine reading !
The Vance family heads to Key West for a family getaway to celebrate their mother's cancer treatments being finished. Upon arrival, Sara's boyfriend bales on her and tells her he isn't coming. She asks a local firefighter, who has just found himself with a week of unplanned time off, to fill the role. As they spend time together, it turns into more than an act.
I enjoyed the first book in this "Keys to Love" series by Priscilla Oliveras.
I received an advanced reader copy via NetGalley.

This is a fake dating romance between a local firefighter in Key West and a social media influencer that is a tourist. I love fake dating and small town romance, especially in beautiful locations, so I was hopeful for this.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF at 15%. This book was not gripping me. I felt the writing style was very repetitive. It was a lot of tell instead of show. The author kept repeating "the importance of familia" to Luis, and dropping almost continuous hints about his rift with his brother without giving additional information. Also, I could not suspend my disbelief with the fake dating set up. They decide on this plan immediately after meeting in a parking lot where Luis hears Sara fighting with her boyfriend over the phone. They immediately start driving around together and making statements about each others personalities, except for they don't know each other at all! This would have made more sense if they ran into each other a few times before hatching the plan.

This ultimately wasn't a story for me. I will not be reviewing this story publicly until after release, so as not to negatively impact release. I will discuss this later on in the year.

Hi there,

I’m so thankful to be granted permission to read this title, thank you so much!

I want to be honest though, rather than leave a negative review on a book that’s just starting out....

I just couldn’t get into this book. I gave it my best shot, but neither character felt relatable to me and their story wasn’t flowing IMO. Again, my sincere apologies.

A social media influencer meets her match in a hunky firefighter in this smexy and sweet vacation romance.
I adored Sara and Luis as they meet in the cutest way possible, then romp their way across the Key West, pretending to be engaged, meeting each other's large and well-meaning familias, and helping each other overcome their past issues. A lovely setting, wonderful characters and the fake fiance trope, Island Affair is a must read, people.

A sweet and steamy romp, this book was an absolute delight to read. Oliveras renders the keys so vividly that you're transported there and I could almost taste the salt and feel the ocean breeze. While Luis and Sara are wonderfully rendered characters whose relationship sweetly grows, the highlight for me was how the other relationships in the book played such a prominent role. The two families and their dynamics were exquisitely drawn and their warmth and complexity jumped off the page.
TW: eating disorders/recovery

Island Affair just broke me out of a major reading slump -- fake relationship, firefighters, Florida Keys, yes, please.
This ownvoices, Latinx romance is an absolutely delightful celebration of family and community...plus it's got a sexy cinnamon roll hero with a bit of a savior complex.

Sara is just landing in the Keys for a week-long vacation with her parents and siblings, when her boyfriend backs out on the trip. Just when she needed to prove to her parents she's on the right track. She meets Luis Navarro, just as he's leaving the fire station at the airport. They've definitely got chemistry, can they convincingly come off as a couple?

I really enjoyed that both Sara and Luis have family issues they're working through, but it never overshadows the budding romance. Sara's past disordered eating issues are handled forthrightly, though others would have to comment on the accuracy.

CW: Past disordered eating issues, parent with cancer

Island Affair by Priscilla Oliveras is a hug of a book — it fills the heart to the brim with its tenderness, warm-heartedness and kindness. With some books, you know from the very beginning how wonderful the characters and their story are going to be and that feeling only grows with every page you turn.

Sara and Luis are so good to each other and to themselves — that is their appeal to each other and to the reader. You want to spend time uncovering their story. You want them to succeed in finding their HEA.

I really enjoyed Sara’s mantra, “I deserve better,” and they both do. They deserve to not have people treat them badly and they deserve to have the best life has to offer them. With the latter, they are both willing to put in the work to make it happen for themselves, and that takes courage, especially when you operate from a stance of lower power, like Sara, or from a stance of higher power, like Luis. Laying yourself bare to more pain in situations that have caused you pain before is an act of bravery that comes from the soul.

My review: http://frolic.media/book-of-the-week-island-affair-by-priscilla-oliveras/

So happy I tried this new author. Such a great story between Sara and Luis. They meet unexpectedly at an airport in Key West. I live in Florida so a lot mentioned and places I know. Families are important to both of them so an arraignment to act like they are a couple suits them both. They never expected the heat between them to really het HOT just like the firefighter Luis is in this fab well written story. Can’t wait for more.